Robert Creighton is returning home to Walkerton for a solo performance at Victoria Jubilee Hall on Dec. 10 at 3 p.m.

Creighton has had a successful career on Broadway in New York, as well as on television. In 2018 he will begin his role as Duke of Weselton in Disney’s Frozen.

The Post contacted Creighton to learn more about his career as a performer.

Were you born and raised in Walkerton?

Yes, born in Walkerton hospital. I lived in Clifford until my dad moved our family (I’m the youngest of six kids) to Walkerton when I was four.

What elementary and high school did you attend?

Brant Central School. Then Walkerton District Secondary School for two years. Then Grenville Christian College in Brockville for three years.

Parent's names?

Dr. RJ Creighton and my mom, the late Joan Creighton (married 36 years). RJ is now married to Karen Creighton (20 years).

At what age did you become interested in performing?

Age 0 I’m told. I started singing in St. Michael’s Boys Choir in Walkerton at age seven and stayed in it until age 14. It was led by the late Bill Sewers. It was incredible early music training. I performed at school and in skits at summer camp and you name it – wherever there was a chance. I competed in Owen Sound and Walkerton music festivals in voice and piano at an early age. All this time I was just as interested in playing hockey in Walkerton though.

At what age did you start thinking about performing as a career?

I dreamed of that from an early age. I played the Artful Dodger in Oliver! for the Grey-Wellington Theatre Guild in Harriston when I was 15. That decided it for me.

What training/schooling did you complete?

I received excellent musical training at GCC in Brockville, as well as at a summer musical theatre program at Banff School of Fine Arts before my senior year. Then I achieved a BA in Vocal Performance from Wilfred Laurier University. I also graduated after three years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

Do you continue to train or take classes?

I occasionally take tap classes and singing lessons.

Where do you currently reside?

I live in North Bergen, New Jersey with my wife, Whitney, and kids RJ, six, and Samantha, four. We are right on the Hudson looking across at Manhattan.

What show/role have you enjoyed the most, and why?

The recent 14-month run of Cagney off-Broadway was a highlight because it was a show I conceived, co-wrote and co-produced. It was the most challenging role and therefore the most satisfying. A true dream come true to have it produced and be a success in NYC. Its premiere was in Florida in 2009 and I started writing it in 2002, so it was a long and winding road. On Broadway I have had some really fun parts – when I was understudying Joel Grey in Anything Goes, he had an injury and I went on for six weeks opposite Sutton Foster, who had won the Tony for her role and it was beyond fun every night.

How different is it performing on Broadway compared to television?

They both require a lot of energy, but in different ways. Broadway is physically harder with eight times a week. TV is long periods of waiting around and then high intensity focus for short periods of time.

Which genre do you prefer the most?

I thoroughly enjoy both, but Broadway is home. I’m always consciously grateful to get to do what I dreamed/planned on doing since Oliver!

Before making it to Broadway, what other stages have you been on?

It took 10 years out of acting school to be in my first Broadway show – Laughing Room Only with Jackie Mason. In those 10 years I worked a lot. I was extremely fortunate that I rarely had to have other types of jobs outside of performing, even in the early years. I performed at summer stock, home to Drayton Entertainment theatres, for several shows in the 1990’s, as well as other theatres around the United States. I did two shows with New York City Opera, which was a real highlight. The Merry Widow, in which I played Njegus (and they made my big Act 3 opening production number into a tap thing) was broadcast on the Live From Lincoln Center telecast. I did a year-long tour with Fame the musical, which played several months in Toronto. I came home from New York to be a part of the original Toronto cast of The Lion King.

What do you consider to be your big break in getting to Broadway?

The biggest break came in being born to parents who supported my dream and facilitated opportunities to develop my talents and get excellent training. Secondly, I don’t know if you’d call this a “break,” but I can tell you the number one factor that led to my first Broadway show and then changed the trajectory of my career. It was being willing to take a risk. In brief, I made a very bold, risky choice for that Laughing Room Only audition, and it paid off. And then during the run of my third Broadway show, The Little Mermaid, where I was in the ensemble and understudying two roles, I made the decision that I was not going to understudy anymore. I left that show, which at the time was a risk in many ways, including financial, to do a lead role in a short run of a show off-Broadway in New York. Subsequently, The Little Mermaid invited me back two weeks after that off-Broadway stint ended to take over the role I had understudied, and I played Chef Louis for the next year on Broadway. Subsequently, it has led me to lead roles in five more Broadway shows, including the upcoming Duke of Weselton in Disney’s Frozen. Of course there are dozens of specific people who gave and give me footholds to keep climbing, but the risks were what caused the breaks.

How many times have you performed at Victoria Jubilee Hall?

This is my second solo show at VJH. I had such fun the first time in September 2012.

What can people expect from your show at VJH?

I’ve called it Bringing Broadway Home For Christmas, and it will be just that – a combination of songs from some of the shows I’ve done on Broadway and then some swinging Christmas tunes that everybody will know. Peppered in there are a few original songs from the musical Cagney, and a song I wrote for this concert called "Holiday Happy."

Is your show a solo performance, or do you have other performers join you?

Last time I performed in Walkerton I had my sister, Debbie Lou, with me. She was a professional singer and now she is a professor at Wilfred Laurier, and my very talented niece, who is now studying musical theatre at Elon University in North Carolina. This time I’m going solo.

How different is it performing in New York compared to Walkerton?

The performing of the material is the same. The song selection can be a little different as there are songs that those attending the shows in New York might have heard many times. So, even if I love singing them I might not choose to sing them there, while I have an opportunity to introduce those songs to the Walkerton audience. The themes of what I say between songs will be the same, but perhaps I can get a little more personal in Walkerton, because it’s home after all.

What advice do you have for others with a dream of making it to Broadway or acting on TV?

First – get the best training you can and build your foundation in that way. Second – be a good person to work with. If people like working with you and know you are professional and work hard, they’ll hire you again. That’s how you build a career.

Anything else to add?

I wanted to come home and do this concert, not only because I love coming home and seeing old friends and performing in that lovely hall in front of a warm audience, but also before I get locked into the run of Frozen, I wanted to do this for my dad. He, along with my mother and now Karen, have been so supportive all along the way. He just retired, ending a 58-year run in his medical practice in Walkerton. I am consciously grateful for his support and instilling the belief, and this is one way I can celebrate him and say thank you.